A Beautiful Queen
by gisellethegazelle
Summary: An alternate universe in which Hans convinces Anna that maybe she'd be better off as queen.


He said I was beautiful. That's how it always begins in the stories. You'd have thought I'd know better. I read so many stories growing up in an empty castle. But he was so kind, and I was so lonely. And he said I was beautiful.

As the hours past, he began to whisper in my ear, notions of treason, poison disguised as words of love.

"How can your sister expect to be queen when she spends all her time locked away?" He asked as we passed through the gardens. "She'll just be abandoning her people, like she abandoned you."

He was right, I thought. You can't run a kingdom from your bedroom. There was business to conduct, diplomats to meet with, and a whole kingdom's worth of people to keep happy and safe. Who was going to take care of all that? Would all of those duties fall to me?

When I asked, he smiled at me and replied, "Most likely. You might as well be queen yourself with all the work you'll be doing."

The thought crept into the back of my mind and made a home for itself before I could even realize it was there. I _couldn't_ be queen. _She_ was queen. My sister, who I loved more than anyone in the world, was Queen of Arendelle. And, as her right hand, I would help her in any way that I could.

"You would be a beautiful queen," he said, tucking a dark red flower behind my ear. He straightened his back and bowed in front of me, like I'd watched so many do for my sister only hours before.

I laughed at the thought of it, but he said he was serious. He said I was beautiful. He said it again and again as we twirled through the night. He spoke of open gates and open doors, travel, parties, guests, friends, and the life I could've known, that I could still know.

He joked all night that, if I were to be queen, he would gladly be my king. It would bring him no greater joy than to serve me, to love me, and to be with me for the rest of our lives. "If you'll have me, I mean," he said, wrapping his arms around me.

When the night ended, and all the doors and all the gates began to close as if some spell had worn off, he wished me goodnight with a gentle kiss on my forehead. I begged him to stay. Our one night had more light in it than all the days of my life put together. I didn't want the magic to end. He promised that he would never leave my side.

Days passed. The gates were tightly shut, and I was locked inside them once again. But for the first time in my life, I had a reason to find a way out. He and I found secret ways of getting in and out of the gates, and no one ever caught on. We went on walks through the town, in broad daylight. It felt so good to be free, to be outside. I finally met the people my parents watched over for all those years, the people whom my sister would have to watch over. He introduced me to bakers, florists, teachers, parents and their children, and even a mountain man, an ice harvester who spoke to his pet reindeer as if he were a human.

He showed me that there was so much magic, so much life, in Arendelle, and my sister was leaving it without a ruler. And for what? She hid herself from the world without giving anyone a reason. How could she ignore all of these people? How could she ignore their hopes, their dreams, their joys, their suffering?

I decided enough was enough. I brought him to the castle, and I slammed my fists against my sister's bedroom door, kicking and screaming until she finally answered. I introduced the two of them, my sister and the man I loved. I told her that she couldn't hide forever. She couldn't be a true queen if she never left her room. He and I agreed on that. Her people needed her. I screamed at her, and she screamed back. We fought and fought, while he watched from the corner of the room.

But then, something happened. It was so fast that I almost missed it. A blast of ice shot out from my sister's hand and covered the fireplace in frost and snow. A look of fear spread across her face, and she ran from the room. I followed.

I couldn't catch her before escaped over the palace walls on a staircase made of ice. I tried to follow, but couldn't get my footing. By the time the gates were open, I could already see her running across the fjord, a thick blanket of ice spreading across the waters with every step she took.

In a matter of minutes, the air turned cold, and snow began to fall across Arendelle. The colorful happy summer transformed into a gray and dismal winter. The kingdom was not prepared. There wasn't enough food, not enough warm clothing. The crops in the fields froze and died, along with most of the livestock. Arendelle was vulnerable, weak.

And it was all her fault, he whispered. It was her job to protect Arendelle, and she left it to shrivel and die in the mess that she created. He convinced me that the blame was not mine. All I ever did was care about my people. His words swirled around in my mind. He was right. _You would be a beautiful queen._ Now was not the time for beauty, but I could be a queen.

With him at my side, I reached out to anyone that could help. Aid came quickly from our allies. Even his brothers sent food. We threw open the palace gates and invited everyone inside to eat and stay warm. We gave the children toys to keep them occupied. We gave medicine to the sick. I watched him treat Arendelle's people with such kindness, such compassion, that I couldn't help but fall even more deeply in love. I realized that Arendelle needed him almost as much as I did.

We were married soon after. There was no fanfare, no excess, just him and me and all the love in our hearts. And as we said our vows, he leaned in and told me that I was beautiful queen. And I replied that he would make a beautiful king. His smile widened, and his eyes sparkled. We kissed, sealing the deal and joining our lives forever.

The kingdom grew more stable with every passing day. Although conditions didn't improve, our ability to deal with problems did. But there was still one problem we hadn't solved, a problem that we'd been putting off solving until we were sure the people of Arendelle were in no immediate danger.

"We received word that your sister is up on the North Mountain," he said. He and our advisors reminded me that my sister had committed a terrible crime by endangering not only my life, but also the lives of everyone in Arendelle. Of course, they were right. I proposed that we bring her back to face trial and to unfreeze the kingdom.

He insisted I stay behind. The North Mountain was no place for a woman carrying the unborn heir of Arendelle. But I needed to come. I needed to face my sister. Maybe if I were there, she wouldn't fight. Maybe she would come quietly. A part of me still held onto the belief that my sister loved me, that maybe she would listen to me this time.

Ten of us, he, myself, and eight soldiers, travelled up the mountain. We were prepared for raging storms as we made our way to my sister's new home. But all we saw was the calm beauty of snow and ice. There were colors, shapes, and sparkling light all around us as if the world was arranged in a display of magnificent artistry.

But every moment of magnificence reminded me of why I was making this journey in the first place. The people of Arendelle deserved justice and freedom from the frozen Hell they lived in now.

Eventually, we found the palace my sister had built for herself. Nothing had changed. She was still the ruler of nothing except, out here in the snow, her neglect wouldn't hurt anyone.

I knocked on the door, hoping that she would let me in, but nothing happened. The soldiers broke a hole in the door that was large enough for us to slip through. And there she was, at the top of the stairs. She stared down at us, wide-eyed and scared.

I begged her to come back to Arendelle, to thaw the fjord, to stand trial for what'd she'd done. She was my sister, and I could've gone easy on her. All she had to do was cooperate. But she ran away. She ran deep into the heart of her palace.

I began to run after her, but he stopped me. He handed me a dagger. He pulled me in close and whispered, "For your protection. She's dangerous. Stay safe, my love."

With the blade in my hand, I ran after my sister. The others followed, and split off as other hallways appeared. Soon, I was alone. There was nothing but silence. Then, faintly, I heard the sound of footsteps just around the corner. I followed the sound until I stood face to face with my sister.

I kept the dagger hidden beneath my cloak so as not to scare her. We argued. She shouted at me, telling me that everything she ever did was to keep me safe, to keep Arendelle safe. Why couldn't I see that?

It began to snow inside. The wind picked up. A storm was brewing, and Elsa was the cause. The walls began to crack and break apart. If I didn't do something, she would kill all of us: the soldiers, my husband, myself, and my child.

I had to do something.

I threw myself forward, unaware of what happened until it was all over, and the red on my palms brought me back to reality.

_I didn't mean to._ I repeated this thought over and over again as I held my sister, watching her gasp for a single breath. I held her close and whispered all the things I'd meant to say as I watched her blood stain the beautiful icy gown she now wore. There would be no chance of redemption, of a better life with my older sister. All of that was gone. _I didn't mean to._

The warmth left her body, and I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I looked up with tears streaming down my face. He knelt down beside me.

"You were a beautiful queen," he whispered, kissing my forehead. A sharp pain tore through my side. I looked down and saw in his hand an icicle, the end of which I could feel, sharp as a knife, as I began to bleed.

He let me fall and watched me fade. I loved him, and he loved me. I couldn't understand.

I heard him shouting for help. Shouting that the queen was dying, killed by her own sister. I tried to scream, but I didn't have enough life left in me.

And now, as I take my final breaths, I do not think to speak his name, to call out for him, although, in my heart, I still love him.

Instead, I whisper the only name my mind can conjure up. I whisper a heavy name burdened with every ounce of regret and sorrow that I feel.

_"Elsa..." _


End file.
